


Vision In Green

by Annehiggins



Category: Fastlane
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-23
Updated: 2013-06-23
Packaged: 2017-12-15 23:07:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/855035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annehiggins/pseuds/Annehiggins
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Posted to AllSlash and/or fandom specific lists prior to August 2005 (when I joined Live Journal.)</p><p>Deaq comes back early from vacation. Somehow that never seems<br/>to work out well. Warnings: Guy in a dress and over-the-knee spanking</p>
            </blockquote>





	Vision In Green

Pitiful. Absolutely pitiful. Deaqon Hayes pulled into his usual parking spot outside of an old theater. Like the section of LA surrounding it, the place had seen better days. Like most everything in the city, it  
wasn't quite what it seemed to be.

Which was about as much philosophy as he was in the mood for. He'd gotten a precious two weeks off. First vacation he'd had since he'd transferred from NYPD to be part of the West Coast freak show, and what was he doing? Nothing. Absofuckinglutly nothing. 

He'd had plans, of course. Lots of them involving some quality horizontal time with the love of his life. Rosaria. Beautiful lady from the past he'd never even wanted to get over. Yet here he was. Back in LA with over a week left to go in what should have been the makings of an epic love story. Hadn't worked out to even be a decent porno flick. 

Gone well enough at first. Sparks were still there and all. Had made for a few fine nights. But the days hadn't gone so great. Girl of his dreams had gone and grown up into something fine. But not someone he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Been hard on both of them, admitting that. He'd not been the only one with dreams of pickin' up where they'd left off. But no, it wasn't gonna happen. At least not in this lifetime. Worse thing was, he couldn't have told anyone a single reason why. 

Deaq sighed and got out of the car. If he were lucky, his partner would be lurking around inside and they could play some basketball. If not, well, The Candy Store always had something to distract a man with nothing better to do. And how pathetic was that? Nothing to do on a Friday night. Man could ruin his rep with somethin' like this. 

He unlocked the door. Easy to say, difficult to do. At least for someone who didn't know the codes and where a few other safety features were hidden. Dude just didn't walk in to this theater without the deluxe VIP pass. 

No sign of Van when he walked in. And that meant he wasn't here. Boy didn't do quiet. If he weren't boppin' around like a maniac, he'd be watching MTV on the big screen TV with the sound cranked up loud enough to shake the walls. Deaq told himself he wasn't disappointed and turned his attention to who was here. 

"Damn, you look fine," he said, giving his boss a once over in a way guaranteed to get a man busted for sexual harassment any place else. But this outfit was all about sex and high stakes. Point of fact, if he didn't say something when the lady was obviously decked out for a hot night on the town, she'd make his life hell. Or that's the way it normally worked. 

To his surprise, Billie Chambers looked upset. "What are you doing here?" she demanded. 

His eyebrow arched. "I work here." 

"Not until a week from Monday." 

"I got back early." Given how much grief she'd given him over asking for the time off, he'd expected a bit more enthusiasm over his return. Even if he didn't have any intention of doin' more than hang out. He'd earned this damn vacation and he wasn't giving up a minute of it. Even if he didn't know what to do with himself. 

"Well, go do something," she said, making a shooing motion with her hand. 

He never responded well to that. "Fine," he said, turning away from mission control (better known as Billie's desk) and headed for the basketball court. Shooting hoops on his own wasn't near as much fun as beating Van's ass, but a brother had to know how to make do. 

"Not that!" she snapped. "You should go out. Time off means time away." 

Okay, the chick wanted him gone. Making that the last thing he was going to do. "Not in the mood." 

"But-" 

The door leading to one of the bedrooms in the back opened and the sound of high heels on the hard floor made Billie's eyes go even wider than they had when she'd seen him. Thus it became his new prime directive to find out who was making with the click, click, clicks. 

Billie tried to block him when he stepped forward, but he gave her a 'let's not start the keep-Deaq-away-from-the-girlfriend business again' look, and side-stepped around her. 

Damn. The shoes stopped and as they'd been the siren call, he started there. Black strapped heels, medium height. Cop in him approved - wouldn't keep a gal from moving if some slime ball gave her cause - but the man would have liked a few more inches. Ignoring this brief bout of schizophrenia, he began the lovely journey upward. Sheer black stockings drew him upward. Long sweet legs that went on forever. Sort of legs that made a man want to settle in on top of 'em and stay awhile. Nice lacy end to the nylon a few inches short of paradise, all framed by slinky deep green silk. He approved even if he did miss the old days of garter belts versus shit that stayed up on its own. 

Sweet curve of the hips that whispered of an ass worthy of praise on the other side. Nice slender waist. Breasts were just a shade bigger than pert. Might want for more, but they fit with the hips. Full sleeves when he was expecting an off-the-shoulder number, but, hey, it wasn't like she'd dressed to please him. A man could dream of course. 

Neckline was high, but there was a cutout diamond shape to draw the eye back down to those breasts, even if it did end a bit too soon for a good view. The shoulders were broad - he guessed shoulder-pads were comin' back in. 

Soft brown curls brushed the neck. Nice shade of rose on the cheeks and lips. Yeah, nice full mouth that begged for attention, he was getting really in the mood to give. Nose was prominent. Moved her from gorgeous to pretty, but that was fine by him. And finally the prettiest green eyes he'd ever seen. 

Um um um. Very fine. He opened his mouth to say as much then noticed something else about those eyes. They shone with something a lot like fear. Since when had he gotten all scary? Well, when he wasn't trying? 

He looked closer, then things begin to click. Green eyes, nose, mouth, soft brown hair. "Damn," he muttered, the interest between his legs flattening out with abrupt speed. "What in the hell has she gotten you into this time?" 

His partner. His male partner, all appearances aside, blinked. "What?" 

More for his peace of mind than need, Deaq shifted his attention from Van Ray to Billie. "I thought we agreed that while I was off the casework was on hold." 

Billie looked annoyed. Then again, she usually did. 

"Deaq," Van said trying to draw him back, but he didn't allow it. Not ready to look at that pretty package hiding his partner again. Besides, he had issues about this. Van had no business hitting the streets without him. 

"It's just a meet," she said. "And I was going along to cover him." 

Okay. He wasn't about to admit it, but that did make him feel better. "Well, now that I'm here, I can do it." 

There was a silence, then Van tried again, "Deaq, you don't need to ruin your vacation." 

He heard the 'because of me' loud and clear. He might have relented if he hadn't. Given his track record, Deaq would have to be into serious self-delusion to not know he'd let Van down more than once. But he'd promised himself to do better and part of that was being there no matter what. 

Deaq looked Billie in the eye. "Where we goin'?" 

She gave him a long glare that had a definite assessing edge to it, then she nodded. "Lavender Flamingo." 

Figured. It was the new hot joint for the AC/DC crowd. Van in this getup would fit right in. 

"Billie," Van said, his voice tight. 

"It's okay," she said, looking over Deaq's shoulder. "You need to brief your partner." 

"I-" 

"You heard the lady," Deaq said and offered his arm like a proper gentleman. "Let's go." 

He thought he heard a soft mutter of, "God," but Van's arm slid through his. 

'Good boy,' he thought, then distracted himself from laughing by getting caught up in how weird it was for Van to be the same height he was. Suddenly he approved of those medium-height heels for a whole different reason. This evening was going to be weird enough without Van playin' at being some Amazon babe who loomed over him. 

* * *

The briefing in the car left something to be desired in Deaq's humble opinion. Pretty much all came down to 'we have to hang out in the club for an hour or two and a guy might or might not drop by for a word or two.' Sounded like a damned fool waste of an evening to Deaq, but they'd done more with less. 

They'd used the Ferrari and Van got more than a few whistles when those long legs of his swung around to step out of the car. Deaq flashed an annoyed look in the general direction of the sound, but did his bit by offering his arm again. 

"Chill, dude," Van whispered. "It's a compliment to your taste." 

"Right," he said in his best 'try again' voice, but opted to let it go when Van took his arm. Long as the boy stayed close, they'd get through this with some measure of dignity left. He'd make certain of it. 

Club started messing with his mind the minute they walked through the door. Looked like any other place until he found himself trying to figure out which men were men and which women were women. He liked it the old-fashioned way where the boys wore the pants and the girls had the breasts. "Couple of hours, right?" 

Van gave him a look. It was hard to interpret what with the eyeliner and mascara thing, but it gave off a 'please, God, get me through this night' vibe. "Maybe less." 

Fine by him. "Donna!" a voice called - no bets on the sex behind it. 

Van seemed to pale behind the rogue, but still had that elegant chick thing going. Deaq had seen many ladies whose face paint looked off when the skin went white, but not Van. Boy had talent with this sort of thing. Not a comforting thought, but an interesting one. 

"Angela, how are you this evening?" Van answered some tall person with a Rue Paul look going on. No falsetto voice for Van, he merely spoke softly. It worked fine. 

"Wonderful, darling. And who is this dashing thing?" Angela gave Deaq a once over that had him seriously considering decking her. Him. Whatever. 

"Deaq, say hello to Angela." 

"Hi," he said with all the enthusiasm of a flat soda. Not high on the polite scale of things, but that hand she/he/it was lifting stopped and dropped long before it could hang there between them waiting to be kissed. Or something. 

Angela's eyes did a fast flip from interested to contemptuous. "And where is Billie this evening?" 

"I'm afraid she had to work." 

"Pity. Care to join us?" A hand with long red fingernails gestured toward what was obviously the table all the action was spinning around. 

Another check on the interesting list. 'Donna' rated the cool kid's table. 

Disturbingly pretty green eyes shifted to Deaq, who gave him the 'not in this lifetime, player' frown. "Thank you, so much," Van said, then cuddled close, "but this is Deaq's first time. I think a quiet corner would be better tonight." 

Angela pouted, then looked at Deaq and decided to stop. "Maybe next time, then." 

Van nodded and nudged Deaq toward the corner. By some miracle they found a table although 'quiet' wasn't a word that applied. Van surprised him by ordering a sour apple martini. Fairly frilly drink to Deaq's mind, but it packed a punch. They usually saved the real booze for when the mark was around. Even then they sipped carefully. Clear head kept one alive. 

He gave Van a disapproving look and ordered a club soda. 

Van flinched, but Deaq would have sworn it had more to do with the club soda than the look. 

Something was definitely going on. "So, Angela." 

"Billie and I've scoped out the place a couple of times." 

"Ah." Sounded right, but he didn't like it. Van was agitated. Could be the change in the line up for tonight, but Deaq didn't think so. Van Ray was a lot of things, but when they were in undercover mode, he kept it cool. Of course, he didn't normally have his partner sitting here looking like he was gonna hurl either. 

Deaq sighed. He really did need to chill. But he wasn't like Van. No one could outdo Deaq playing bad-boy Hayes - the kid he would have been if Dre hadn't hustled his ass out of town years ago. But he wasn't a chameleon like Van. He could play other roles, but they were never very far from who he was or could have ended up being. 

Van could play any part. From heartless pimp to sorry-assed alcoholic in need of a pretty shoulder to cry on. Some times it was downright amazing. Probably should tell Van that more often, but he got so damned hyper when he was happy. He sighed again. Guess he owned him a high after his performance tonight. 

He opened his mouth to give him a thrill, but a man approached the table. Showtime. 

Deaq was ready for just about anything. It was that kind of job. But he didn't expect the man to ignore him and ask Van, "Wanna dance, beautiful?" 

Okay. Now, if he were here with a real date, the guy would have been halfway across the room without a good share of his teeth. 

"I'm sorry," Van answered, the fluster quota going way over the top. "But I'm with-" 

"That's okay, sweetheart," Deaq grated out. He really, really wanted to paste this one, but he could be the contact. "I know how much you like to dance and I'm not in the mood tonight." Damn, he had a gift for understatement. 

Van shrugged and went with the dude. 

Deaq told himself it was cool, but he kept his eye on the proceedings. There were a couple of other things he knew about Van. Man was gay for one. Empathy and friction let him give the lovelies he bedded on the job pleasure, but given a choice, Van always played his own side of the street. Couldn't say he was thrilled with that, but he could live with it. He was less comfortable with the other thing. The crush on Deaq thing. 

He hadn't lied to Van about hesitating to get close to a co-worker or about his trust issues, but not wanting to lead the boy on was a big part of keeping his distance. As much as possible. Something about Van made a man go all protective despite his best efforts to the contrary. 

Like now for instance. 

Deaq scowled as the beat of the next song signaled cuddle time to the throng and what little distance there was between each couple vanished. 

Van was gay. Deaq was not. End of story. So he could sit here and watch Van get pulled up close and personal with the slime ball. Maybe Van liked it, and if he didn't, boy could handle himself. End of that story. Deaq was not the kind who went all dog and bone over something he didn't want. Nope, not that dude. Not him. Never was. Never would be. Except that hand on Van's ass was just wrong on so many levels. 

Deaq was up and across the room before he gave much thought to the situation. "Excuse me," he said, his voice gauged to freeze slime at 2,000 feet. "I think that's mine." In case the guy missed his meaning, he took firm hold of the wrist attached to the hand resting so blithely on Van's ass and squeezed. Hard. 

The guy gasped and drew back away from Van with admirable speed. 

"Deaq." 

"In a minute, baby. I'm having a conversation with your admirer here," he said with a stunning smile and another squeeze. 

"Fine. You have fun. I'm out of here." 

Damn. Try to be chivalrous and see where it gets you. "Later, player," he muttered and zipped off after those hips that had a really fine sway to them as Van near ran across the dance floor in those shoes. Had to admire the boy's sense of balance. But he was in heels and those things weren't built for speed. 

His hand closed around Van's arm, then pulled him around to face him. 

Anger flashed in the pretty green eyes, then he saw the 'payback' gleam appear. "Sorry, darling, I should have told him to shove off sooner," Van said, his arms going around Deaq's neck. 

It was reel the boy in and dance up close and personal or blow any chance of recovering the evening. Deaq sighed and wrapped his arms around Van's waist. Full body contact. 

His cock began to take interest again. Stupid thing refused to get that all those sweet silk-covered curves went with accessories Deaq didn't play with. 

No doubt intent on messin' with Deaq's mind, Van snuggled up. Or maybe he was taking advantage of the situation. In any case, not much Deaq could do but snuggle back 

Soft brown curls tickled his nose, but it wasn't an unpleasant sensation. Far from it. Van must have used some shampoo with a lot of herbal junk in it, because he smelled like spring, just after a good rain. Another twitch from his cock and he held Van even closer. 

He ignored the breasts. They weren't real no matter how they felt pushed against him, but the rest of the body was fine. Fit nice with his, too. Would fit even better without those heels. Van would be able to rest his head on Deaq's shoulder without them. And that was just a downright disturbing thought. 

And speakin' of disturbing thoughts, he suddenly found himself wondering what was between Van's ass and the silk dress. Didn't feel like briefs, but there was something there, and boxers under this get up wouldn't be right. Jockstrap? Or maybe a thong? 

Somewhere in his explorations it occurred to him he was fondling his partner's ass in the middle of the dance floor. Which didn't make them stand out from anyone else, but it really hadn't been high on Deaq's list of things to do tonight list. Nor was noticing what a fine ass it was. 

Globes were a perfect fit in his hands and his fingertips were getting really interested in the cleft between them. Well, what of it? Deaq had an appreciation for backdoor sports and that part was pretty much the same on all models. 

His cock whimpered reminding him it had been promised two weeks of bliss and hadn't gotten half as much. 

It went on like that for some time. Van in his arms, scent in his nose, sweet ass under his hands, cock interested in all of the above. Finally, he reached a decision. Reluctantly he de-groped one hand enough to look at his watch. "We've been here almost three hours. You ready to call it a night?" 

Van murmured and snuggled closer. Boy didn't want it to end. Deaq could relate to that. "How about I take you on home, then fuck you silly?" 

The body stiffened, then drew back letting eyes as big as saucers stare at him. "Are you serious?" 

"For tonight." He'd get this strange itch out of his system, then they'd get back to as normal as their lives ever let them. "You cool with that?" 

He saw disappointment, but not much. "Yeah, I'm cool. Let's go." 

They collected the car in the midst of a very un-Van-like silence. It had a certain novelty to it, but it got old fast. Much as it pained him, Deaq had gotten used to the chatter. Damn. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. 

And maybe the boy had taken up mind reading cause he chose that moment to cross those lovely legs. Damn. Like his cock, his hand got a mind of its own and moved from the gear shift to rest where the thigh-high stocking gave way to soft skin. 

Fantasies of peeling those off kept him from panicking for the rest of the drive. He opted to trail behind to watch the view as Van walked from the car to the motel room Van Strumer called home. More like one of those economy suite things versus just a bedroom with a table and a TV, but not the greatest of places. 

Deaq preferred sacking out in one of the bedrooms at the Candy Store between cases that provided more lavish accommodations, but Van liked having his own digs full time. Right now, Deaq deeply appreciate the privacy. 

Van walked over to his dresser. Took off his earrings, then stepped out of the shoes. "What do you want me to do?" he asked without turning back to face Deaq. 

'Great. He's as nervous as I am.' Near as Deaq could tell, the only thing in this room not doing some serious panicking was his dick. It knew exactly what it wanted. "Just stand there, baby," he said, his voice thick with a mixture of fear and lust. "I'll do the rest." 

Van obeyed and for a long minute nothing happened since doing something would require Deaq to get rid of the distance between them. One last chance to get some common sense to kick in, but his cock howled and that was that. He moved. 

Van tensed when Deaq's hands settled on his shoulders. "'s okay, baby," he gentled him, pleased to have the height difference between them back to normal. "You smell damned good." 

"I-" Whatever Van was going to say was lost in a gasp as Deaq nipped at his ear. 

"Taste good, too." He murmured, unzipping the dress. Moment of truth time. Van was about to go from woman to man in the shimmer of silk falling to the floor. 

Proving once again he had a keen eye for danger, Van said, "You could leave it on. Just bend me over something and do it." 

Yeah, he could, but it didn't feel right. Whatever happened tonight, come morning they still had to work together. "You worry too much, baby." 

Van groaned as Deaq nuzzled his neck and eased the dress off his shoulders. It dropped in a flutter of bright green, leaving behind black lace in strategic locations. 

The soft swell of breasts vanished with the bra holding them in place. He lingered on the newly bared skin, his fingers teasing the nipples Van liked to flash to any and all who would look. "You shaved your chest." 

"Neckline was too low." 

He grinned into Van's sweet smelling hair. "It's gonna itch when it grows back." 

A bark of laughter burst from Van. "There are worse places to shave." 

"Don't think I want to know," he muttered, taking any sting out of it, by nuzzling Van's neck. 

"God, Deaq." 

"Shh, easy, baby. Got a ways to go yet." He abandoned the nipples for the moment, letting his hands move down to the black panties straining around Van's erection. Too male for Deaq just now, so his hands detoured around to the back and those firm globes that had enchanted him all evening. 

"Deaq, I'm wearing-" 

"Had my hands on your ass the better part of the evening, you think I don't know?" 

Van flushed, then gasped as Deaq pulled the panties down. They fell around Van's ankles leaving the boy dressed in nothing but the stockings and a piece of plastic nestled in where Deaq intended to be in a few short minutes. 

"You like wearin' a plug?" he asked, giving it a little push. 

Van arched his shoulders pressing back against Deaq's chest. "When - when I go clubbing." 

"Gets you all hot and ready for lovin'." 

"Yes, God, Deaq, please." 

He gripped Van's shoulders and turned him. No way was he taking the boy without tastin' his mouth first. Was something damned impolite about doin' otherwise. 

Those full lush lips opened beneath his own and for the first time since this started Deaq groaned. Boy tasted as good as he smelled. Had a real talented mouth, too. Man could get seriously lost in a slow, deep kiss like this. 

Deaq felt almost dizzy when he drew back and urged Van toward the bed. He hesitated for a moment when they reached it. 

"It's okay," Van said giving him a smile, then another kiss. When they parted, Van settled on the bed, face down, his legs spread wide. 

Hoping this didn't rank up there with keeping him in the dress, etc., Deaq stripped down while admiring the long naked span of Van's torso. Damn fine, but that plug had to go. 

He eased it out and found it left things all slick. Ready to go. God, was he really going to do this? 

"Deaq?" 

"Sorry," he muttered, shifting into position. Shouldn't dwell on such things now, but he and Van were gonna have a long talk come morning. A very long talk. But not now. In this moment, he lifted Van's hips and pushed in. Hot, snug paradise. Another place a man could happily get lost forever. 

Silence wasn't Van's middle name, so it didn't surprise Deaq at all that he was a noisy fuck. He gasped, moaned and chanted curses after every stroke. Made Deaq grin. 

Then it made him too hot to do anything, but his own groaning. Damn, Van had a sweet ass. Sweetest ass Deaq had ever spent time in. 

A thought tried to stir at that, but Van suddenly came, his muscles contracting around Deaq's cock in a mind-blowing sort of way. 

Deaq exploded. Or at least he must have. Man couldn't do much in the face of that much pleasure at the end of an evening like this but have a nice dignified fade to black. 

* * *

He woke up some time in the middle of the night. Van was curled up against him, all warm and still smelling sweet. 

Didn't take much prompting to get the boy awake and interested. Another trip to paradise later sent Deaq back to the land of lovely dreams. 

* * *

Daylight had an annoying way of putting things into perspective. 

Deaq sat on the sofa drinking coffee and trying to decide just what the hell sort of mess he'd gotten himself into. 

He'd fucked Van twice. Loved every second of it and truth be told his cock was suggesting it might not speak to him again if he considered cutting off the source of all that fine pleasure. 

His mind was saying, 'Yo, Van's a guy. I don't do guys.' Except he had. Twice. And he was hard with wanting to go back into the bedroom for a third round. 

And he hadn't liked much how comfortable it had felt to wake up with Van all snuggled against him. Except he'd loved it. Van fit fine in his arms. Like he was made for it. 

But no, his arms were made for holding lovely ladies, not beautiful guys who made him crazy. Except that wasn't a beautiful boy sleepin' away in the other room. It was Van. His partner. And, damnit all to hell, his friend. 

Might wish it otherwise, but Van had gotten under his skin. Always been Deaq's duty to back him up. Maybe even die for him one day. Now he found himself thinking that maybe he'd be a whole lot happier if, should death come callin', it took him instead of Van. 

No one talked about it. Being glad to be the survivor. Didn't sound brave enough. To hell with brave, it sounded harsh and wrong. 

But when the smoke cleared and someone had fallen, a guy's first or at least third thought was something along the lines of 'glad it wasn't me.' 

Somehow Van had changed that. Maybe it was that Van was so damned full of life it was hard to imagine him bein' all still and dead. Or maybe that unwilling friendship thing he'd had going with Van had gone a whole lot deeper than Deaq had ever thought it could. 

All he knew was he would give even money that if it was a choice between him and Van, he'd volunteer to be the one to go. 

Deaq didn't like that. Went against his survival instincts and that was what kept a man alive in this sort of whacked out job. Worse, it pointed to something he didn't want to contemplate. 

That damned bitch might have been right. And wouldn't Billie just be frosted to know that there was another ball-breaker out there who had a right to her title. 

Sharon something or other. He'd repressed the name along with a lot of other unpleasant memories of the NYPD Policy Academy, but there were a few things he'd never managed to get safely into the land of 'gladly forgotten.' 

Woman had been a know-it-all of epic proportions. Expert on anything and everything and if that was true why the hell wasn't she ruling the universe and letting lesser mortals like Deaq get on with their business? 

Anyway, one of the things she'd been an expert on was homosexuality. Said the stats played out that 10 percent of the population was gay. He'd been unimpressed. Most knew that. 

She'd come back with, of that 10 percent some of it was pure choice, not biological hardwiring. Was close to a fifty-fifty split with the ladies. 

Deaq hadn't had trouble with that. Being a cop meant he saw all the harm men did to women and couldn't blame a slice of them for heading for gentler company. But she'd lost him with the 10 percent of guys made the choice thing. 

A guy chose to be gay? What sort of masochistic moron would choose to put up with all the crap and prejudice? 

End of discussion and walk away quickly. But he'd never forgotten what she'd said. 

Hell, he didn't even know if were true or not. She might have made it up. Had one of those dubious qualifiers of 'I can't remember where I read it' stated up front. Could have been yanking his chain. Could have been a legit read, but a bogus source. Stupid. Forget it. 

Except now he sat in Van's hotel room faced with the fact he might have to admit to being a 10 out of 10. Cause he knew the reason a man might chose this. In Deaq's case, the reason was a man named Van. 

Van loved him. In Deaq's honest moments he had to admit he cared about Van more than he'd ever really cared about anyone. Which might be pathetic but truth was truth. And he wanted Van. 

He wanted more than to be able to take up permanent residence in that snug ass. He wanted to own the body around it. Wanted exclusive rights to all the muscle and warmth snuggled up against him in the best damned definition he'd ever heard of 'all is right with the world.' 

Van was his. He wasn't going to put up with anything else. Boy didn't like it, well, Deaq could hook him up with a few lawyers who specialized in requesting restraining orders, but after that all bets were off. 

From this moment on there was going to be 'job required stuff' and Deaq. That was that. End of story. No way in hell was he putting up with any more of watching some sleezeball putting the moves on Van while he was around. 

Which was another thing they had to get settled. He'd not always been truthful with Van, but it had mostly been to keep him at a distance or to keep from hurting his feelings. 

Last night didn't fall under either of those headings, but it sure as hell had been about lying. He'd been too caught off guard at first, then too turned on later to think it through at the time, but he'd had a good hour between waking up and this cup of coffee to sort it all out. He'd been played. And he did not like it. 

The sound of the shower coming on told him his time alone with his thoughts was coming to a rapid end. Good enough. His cock and his sense of justice had waited long enough. 

Thing was a plan right now would be a good thing. He had to teach Van a lesson about making his partner feel foolish. Hey, maybe it was hypocritical and all, but it was pure Deaq and that was that. 

He also needed to establish the ground rules fast. He wasn't gay. He just wanted to fuck Van any and every chance he got. Might loosen up along the way. Probably would, but it was important Van understand that he might not. 

He wasn't what Billie called 'a work in progress' He was the man who'd walked away from the future he'd always dreamed of with Rosaria because only a fool settled in with outright expectations, even demands of change. 

And hell, Van liked cock. That much was clear. He might not want to set up some damned flow chart about whose night it was to do what either. 

Deaq suspected not. Van had a submissive streak in him. Obvious if not glaring on the job. He suspected it would be a mile wide and five times as long in the bedroom. Would suit Deaq fine, although he wasn't going to count on it being a guarantee of peace and order. He figured Van was set to be the poster boy for Pushy Bottoms Anonymous. 

No, his days of peace come quittin' time were gone. He tried to regret that. At least a little, and he managed it. Sort of. Truth was, he'd not been all that happy with peace and quiet. Or with quitting time since it had normally not involved Van. 

All Deaq's choice, of course. But he was making a new choice. Starting now. 

The shower had been off long enough for any guy to have finished up. He cleared his throat to make certain his voice sounded firm. "Get out here. Now." 

Van moved into the room and never had a man tired and failed so miserably not to look appealing. He'd pulled on a pair of loose gray sweatpants and a ratty old T-shirt of a different enough shade of gray for even Deaq to notice it clashed big time. His hair was damp around the edges, but he hadn't shaved his chin and upper lip. A reasonable amount of stubble suggested that come Monday morning the beard and mustache would be full enough to miss it had been shaved off Friday night. 

Deaq wondered how many times he'd missed a 'close trim' on a Monday morning. Which led to thoughts of someone else pulling the plastic out of Van's tight hole the nights before. 

"Deaq?" Van's voice was quiet, almost Donna-like. 

Guessed he must look mad. Which was okay since he was. That ass was his and it pissed him off that it had probably seen a lot of action while he was figuring things out. 

"You lied to me last night." 

Van's gaze dropped to the floor. Least he wasn't trying to pretend he didn't know what Deaq was talking about. He didn't say much of anything either. 

Okay, back to Deaq. "How long have you and Billie been hitting the bars on Fridays?" 

He shrugged. "She knew about Donna when she signed me on. Suggested we go out the first weekend we all had off." 

"And you didn't think it was something I should know about." 

Van bit his lip lower lip. "More like I didn't know how to tell you. Not something that generally comes up, you know." 

"Maybe all the more reason to bring it up. We were bound to run into someone who knew Donna _and_ Strumer." 

Van nodded. "Billie wanted me to tell you, but. ..." he trailed off and ran a hand through his hair. 

"But what?" 

"She doesn't handle it all that well at times. I mean she's a friend. Better than you might think, but sometimes she can't keep the cop separate from what she sees as a softness in me. Makes it hard for her to respect me." 

Yeah, that explained a lot. Van was brilliant at what he did. Most of the time Billie seemed to know that. But at others the bitch could be downright brutal in how fast she cut Van off at the knees. Must be hell being closer to your definition of a real man than one of the men who worked for you. "And that brings us back to me." 

Van nodded. "You're my partner. I need your respect. Without it, at best we won't do the job well. At worst, we'll end up dead." 

"Makes sense. But you still let me fuck you." 

If his look was any indication, misery thy name was Van. "I wanted you so bad. Damnit, Deaq, I love you. How could I say no?" 

"Probably should have." Okay, it wasn't nice, but he was seriously pissed underneath it all. He did _not_ like being played and Billie was sure to tease him about last night - at least the parts she knew about - for months to come. 

Van flinched. "I know. So what did it cost me? Do I need to go punch a few bikers out to prove I'm a man or should I cut to the chase and request a transfer?" 

"You're asking me." 

He nodded. 

"Just so we're clear on this, you're asking me because what I say happens is what's going to happen?" 

He bit his lip again, but nodded. 

Make that a submissive streak five miles wide and forty times as long. "All right, here's the deal. You're mine." 

Van's head came up like a shot, his eyes widening, but he didn't speak. Probably speechless and wasn't that a heady thought. Deaq had done the impossible and robbed Van Ray of his ability to speak. 

"You let anyone besides me touch you outside of the job and you will regret being born. We clear on that?" 

Van nodded. 

"Now, the other thing we need to reach an understanding about is that I like being in charge. I can take the back-talk and the general hyper stuff day-to-day, but you belong to me." 

Van swallowed and asked, "That mean I'm yours and you sleep around?" 

"No. I'm in this, I'm exclusive, too. Does mean the lube goes where I say it goes and I might never want it any other way. You okay with that? Cause if you aren't, best say it now so we can try to figure out how to go our separate ways." 

It was harsh. All or nothing. But this hadn't played out in the 'take it slow and see what happens' side of things. Any chance they had of moving on without serious fallout had to come now or probably not at all. 

Van blushed and muttered something. 

Deaq frowned. "Didn't catch that." 

His throat cleared, "I said I like it that way. " 

"Good. Two people together, they change and grow. Things change too much for you to still feel that way, you tell me. We'll cope." 

"Okay. Um." 

"Yeah?" 

"What about Donna?" 

"Not my scene, baby. You want to dress up and go out with Billie from time to time, it's fine by me. But it goes no further than dancing with other men." He didn't like even that. His hands had had a fine time last night on the dance floor. But Van wasn't a tease. He wouldn't let another man get all hot and bothered, then leave him hanging. Trust. This had to be about trust. "Okay?" 

Van nodded, then he gave Deaq a curious look. "You're taking this all pretty well." 

Deaq shrugged. "Got a quirk or two, myself." 

"Like?" 

It was the thing that had made him walk away from Rosaria. And other ladies as well. Most of the time, Rosaria included, he didn't say a word. Just got the feel of things and knew it wouldn't play out the way he wanted. He was young enough, he wasn't willing to stick around when things weren't compatible. Sex should be about fun, not about enduring. He sighed. Might as just well say it. Everything else about this relationship had been abrupt. "I like to spank my lovers." 

Van swallowed, his glance darting to Deaq's hands. "H-how?" 

"Over-the-knee with my hand." Never done more, but. Ah, hell, might as well get it all out. "Think I might have liked to do more." 

"Hairbrush? Belt?" 

He nodded, then frowned. "Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to be the first to tan your backside?" 

Van ducked his head. "I don't let it happen often." 

"You like it?" 

He nodded, then some of the shyness melted away. "A lot. Made me want to do other things." 

"What stopped you?" 

Van glared at him. "In case you haven't noticed, our lives do not lend themselves to trust. You don't let someone you don't trust tie you up and do ... stuff." 

Right. Tie him down. Stuff. Deaq shifted trying to ease the pressure between his legs. "And if I say I'm open to exploring ... the possibility of doing stuff with you?" 

Van walked over to the sofa and sat down beside him. "You terrify me," he said. 

"How's that?" 

"I've always needed to stand on my own. Be strong. Independent. But a part of me." He sighed. "I want someone to take care of me. I could lose myself with you." 

Deaq couldn't help it. He laughed. He knew it was the wrong thing to do so he tried to take the sting out of it by resting his hand on Van's arm. 

Must have worked to some degree because Van didn't pull away, but the muscle beneath his hand was fairly vibrating with tension. 

"Baby," Deaq said, letting the tension sober him up before he got to the 'not gonna stop laughing in this lifetime' point, "I'm the one who should be afraid. You've had me doing stuff I didn't want to do from day one. Only going to get worse if I stop pretending you aren't everything to me." 

Van shuddered, but leaned against him. "Everything?" 

"Everything that matters. Partner. Friend. Lover. Anything else is an also ran." 

"I'll drive you crazy." 

"You do that anyway. This way I get the perks, too." 

"And the revenge." 

"Definitely the revenge." 

Van went silent again for a moment, then he said, "I was bad last night." 

"Very." 

"I'm sorry. I know I should have told you the truth a long time ago and that I might have seemed like I was making a fool out of you by not telling you last night. I was just scared." 

"I understand." 

"But maybe you should punish me." 

"Yeah." Okay, so the apology was sincere and probably warranted a pass on corporal punishment even if his ego smarted around the edges, but he got what Van was saying. They needed to know if they could handle this. 

Van took a deep breath, let it out, then stretched out positioning himself so his ass was across Deaq's lap and the swell of his cock was pushing between Deaq's legs. 

Now there was a lovely sight. That beautiful bottom laid out all for him. Deaq's hands almost shook as he pushed the baggy sweats down Van's thighs, baring all the gorgeous soft flesh. 

It made Deaq's hand itch for contact. He settled on caressing the globs for a few moments, then he gave the right one a quick swat. 

Van gasped and stiffened at the impact. 

Deaq closed his eyes relishing both the sound and the sensation. What was it about Van? He made a man want to protect and cuddle him like a puppy, but at the same time he inspired visions straight out of the Sadist's Guidebook. 

Smack! He gave the left buttock a matching handprint, then let six more rapid blows fall at random. 

Van squirmed. His cock hardened. "Stop, please," he whimpered, but he lifted his hips up as if to ask for more. 

"Red means stop, baby," Deaq told him, ashamed he hadn't thought to establish that much before they'd started, but his hands had itched. "Stop is just noise. Understand?" 

Van sniffed. 

"Understand?" 

"Red means stop. Stop doesn't." 

Deaq nodded, satisfied then went back to it. 

Smack. Smack. Smack. 

Over and over he struck the writhing bottom, losing himself in the rhythm and the skin going from pink to ever darkening shades of red. 

Van sobbed, begged him to stop, but his cock grew harder and harder between Deaq's legs. Damn, Van acted like he could come from just this. Hell, Deaq was on the verge of it himself. 

It had never been this good. Never been this charged. Maybe because no one had ever driven him as crazy as Van did. And maybe, just maybe, that said everything. 

His hand stung, then moved on to numb. Had to stop. Going too far too soon, but God. He'd been right. He should be the one terrified. Van would consume him. 

He stopped abruptly. "Get up," he ordered, having to restrain himself from leaping to his feet before Van could collect himself enough to stand on obviously shaking legs. 

Deaq helped him, then braced him. God, he was beautiful, his face flushed and wet with tears. He pulled him close and kissed him, his tongue plunging in between parted lips to duel with Van's. 

Van clutched at him, ground against him, the wetness of his dripping cock seeping through Deaq's pants. 

Deaq grabbed Van's wrists and jerked them around to pin them behind the boy's waist. "Damn, you make me crazy," he panted, resting his forehead against Van's. "I want to do so many things to you. Horrible things." 

"Tell me," Van moaned, his breath a pant against Deaq's neck. 

"I want to make you stand in the corner for hours and stick a vibrator - biggest one I can find - up your ass and enjoy watching you stand there with orders not to move." 

"God," Van groaned, grinding his erection against Deaq's thigh. 

A host of toys flashed through Deaq's mind: nipple clamps, harnesses, whips, all the things he saw out of the corner of his eye at the clubs they haunted and he'd pretended not to notice. He saw them all and Van's flesh. Van's body straining against them, into them, begging for them. He saw it and whispered all of it into Van's ear. 

Van groaned and came, his seed spurting with a wild thrusting of his hips that matched the brightness of his eyes. 

The body in his arms went limp, and Deaq eased Van down to the floor. He gave him a deep kiss to reassure him, then said, "Be right back." 

Van whimpered when he vanished into the bedroom, then lifted his hips eagerly when Deaq returned with a bottle of lube. 

Deaq had to stop and grit his teeth. Flushed, sated face, red battered flesh raised for ravishment, he almost spilled, but he wasn't about to waste the moment. 

Somehow he got from standing in the doorway to kneeling on the floor beside Van. His hands shook, but his determination won out and the bottle opened to surrender the slickness inside. 

He ached like he'd never ached before. If nothing else, Van made a man confront a lot of first times. But he wanted his touch to sooth as well as inflame. He wanted it to mean love, too. More teeth gritting, but he took his time getting Van ready. 

The act had its own pleasures and he soon had Van squirming again. Too soon for the boy to get hard again. Probably wouldn't for at least an hour, but he was obviously enjoying the fingers penetrating him. 

He groaned and whimpered as Deaq began to gently caress his reddened bottom. Flesh was hot. Swollen. Lovely and very sensitive. 

"I want to take you from the front, baby," he said, pulling out his fingers to slick up his cock. 

Van turned onto his back and gasped at the pain of his bottom pressing against the floor. 

Deaq stared at him, and Van did that mind reading thing again. 

Van slipped his arms under his own legs, then pulled his knees up and apart, bending double and lifting enough to put his spent cock, a span of red flesh and waiting hole on display. 

He should have looked ridiculous, but to Deaq he was beautiful. Beyond beautiful. He was Van. 

His entry made Van groan in pain, but the long legs wrapped around his torso to keep Deaq from withdrawing. 

"It's part of being owned," Van whispered in his ear. "Ravage me." 

Hunger filled his voice, but Deaq couldn't move. "Van." 

"Red means stop." 

Deaq thrusted. Hard. He was the hero of every dark bodice ripper ever written and Van was the beautiful maiden. It was dark, brutal, possessive and good, so damned fucking good. 

Van sobbed, he pleaded, he twisted and turned trying to escape, but Deaq moved all the harder. His. His. His. His. 

He reached down between them and touched what he'd avoided the night before. Van's cock. Sticky with sweat and drying come. Flaccid, but pulsing in his hand. It fit perfectly. Nestled in his palm, like the man attached to it fit in his arms. 

He came. Hard. 

Van all but screamed in his ear. Not in pain. Didn't sound like it owed a thing to pain. More like pleasure. A pleasure born of pure triumph. 

Deaq's gasp was a pale imitation, softer in its force because a physical release diluted it while Van's release had been purely emotional. 

Deaq felt like he was drowning. Never had the reality of who was in control ever been more clear. 

Van had given himself to Deaq with a staggering completeness. He was car keys in Deaq's pocket, a pair of old shoes in the closet. Property. Body and soul owned by Deaqon Hayes. And yet Deaq was the keys. The shoes. Deaq was the one owned. 

It was want and sex and love and, God, it was Van. 

He curled up around Van, gasping with the weight of the emotions crashing down on him. 

Van, Van who was afraid of being too needy, afraid of losing himself in submission and need, wrapped his limbs around Deaq and held him close. Held him while Deaq fought through what he had been to embrace what he was becoming. Held him while Deaq lay there more fragile than a newborn babe. Held him and was strong for both of them. 

The storm passed and they slowly became two lovers entwined. Van kissed his forehead and asked, "Deaq, you okay?" 

"Yeah, I think I might be." 

"We've got a lot of things to talk about, lot of things to explore." 

"Yeah." Toys to buy, limits to learn, boundaries between work and play to define and a lifetime together to figure out. But he was tired. Bone-deep tired. "Sleep now though?" 

"Okay." 

"Van?" 

"Yeah?" 

"Billie has it wrong. You're the strongest man I know." 

"Thanks." 

"And Van?" 

"Yeah?" 

"I love you." 

The arms tightened around him. "I love you, too." 

And it was all right. Every kinky, quirky, dark twist and turn in their off-the-beaten-path brains. It was all right. Because they would make it that way. 

* * *

**The End**   
  



End file.
